Chapter 85
Officials who had served the emperor for many years knew his character; he rarely praised anyone.
In the eyes of this group of people, Wen Shi's article also has its merits, in addition to his beautiful handwriting and unique insights.
Imperial Study
The emperor was also concerned about the palace examination. As soon as the papers arrived, he immediately ordered someone to keep them and had the eunuchs clear the memorials on the table before he began to read them.
"Your Majesty, these essays by these dozen or so scholars are all quite good in my opinion, each with its own merits. Our Great Qi is full of talented people, and our national strength will surely become even more prosperous in the future."
The emperor smiled upon hearing this.
The article at the very top is definitely not Wen Shi's. The officials aren't stupid; they know the emperor isn't a fool.
The emperor silently began reading the articles, placing some on the left and others on the right. The officials dared not utter a sound, awaiting his final judgment.
Correspondingly, Wen Shi's article was placed last. After reading it, the emperor made a decision and ultimately placed Wen Shi's article on the right as well.
"You can handle these as you see fit."
The emperor rolled up the article on the left and handed it to an official beside him, then picked up the articles on the right and read them again.
Finally, he selected three and simply circled them with a brush.
"Top scholar, second-place scholar, third-place scholar".
These three essays were undoubtedly the best. The emperor was quite fair. Everyone looked at the essay of the one chosen as the top scholar with curiosity, exchanging bewildered glances.
This is the student they put in the first picture. Of course, he's not young, but he's not old either; he's in his prime.
Like the second and third place winners, none of the three were from the same place.
"Keep all these people in the Hanlin Academy, and you can rank them as you see fit."
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, and the officials beside him nodded hurriedly, all of them were qualified. At this point, the ranking of these selected people was not that important.
After everyone returned to the Ministry of Rites, they immediately began writing the list, which would be posted in a few days, marking the complete end of this examination.
Since it was an order personally issued by the emperor, no one dared to disobey it. Those students whose essays he had read, except for the top three, were all second-class Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).
The rankings vary, but they are definitely better than the top three*.
He requested that the people be kept in the Hanlin Academy. Apart from the top-ranking officials, the Ministry of Rites wrote down the names of the remaining people and sent them to the Ministry of Personnel for them to make arrangements.
If there are vacancies in various places, they can be filled now. Some people have even used money privately to get assigned to better places.
With that, everything settled down.
Five days later, the Ministry of Rites posted the list on the bulletin board. When he heard that he had ranked thirty-fifth in the second class, he was quite excited.
There are many things he won't know right now, but second place is definitely better than third place. He just takes it as a blessing from heaven that his efforts have paid off.
"Brother Wen, what score did you get?"
"Thirty-fifth in the second class".
"I ranked ninth in the second-class category."
Hu Yong'an was somewhat smug, though he didn't show it too much, as Wen Shi wasn't that much different from him.
"How about we go to my house for a celebratory drink?"
"No, I want to go back and wait for the appointment document from the Ministry of Personnel."
Wen Shi wasn't greedy; he just hoped to be assigned a better place so he could take his wife and children and not let them suffer. As for where that place would be, it was hard to say right now.
"Then let's go back first."
He had the address of the inn, and he was in the capital, which made it convenient for the people in the Ministry of Personnel to deliver documents.
Three days later, Wen Shi received his official appointment document.
The messenger from the Ministry of Personnel handled the matter officially. He knew that there were quite a few high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, and Wen Shi was not even in the top three. There was no need for him to curry favor. Besides, he was currently staying at an inn, which seemed to be just an ordinary family's place.
Wen Shi sat in the main hall, carefully opening his appointment document. When he saw the words "Hanlin Academy Bachelor," he excitedly stood up.
This can be considered the best place for students who have passed the imperial examination.
He read the appointment document over and over again in disbelief, confirming that it was his name and that he was from the Hanlin Academy. His joy was palpable, and his arms trembled with excitement.
At first, there were quite a few students staying at the inn, but they gradually left one by one. Now, only Wen Shi was left. When the innkeeper saw Wen Shi like this, he knew that he had a bright future.
This person usually appears steady and reserved, but given his current demeanor, he must have a bright future ahead of him.
"Congratulations, sir! Congratulations, sir! Oh no, congratulations, sir!"
After a brief moment of reaction, his expression immediately returned to normal. More than ten years of studying had finally come to fruition, and the result was so good.
Although this is just the beginning, staying in the capital is something he never dreamed of before. He has always hoped to work in a good place with beautiful scenery, so that his children and wife would not suffer.
"Thank you, shopkeeper."
Overjoyed, Wen Shi did not forget his important matter. He hurriedly returned to his room and immediately wrote a letter home. After finishing writing, he realized that he could not send it at the moment.
He couldn't stay at the inn indefinitely; it was too far from the Hanlin Academy. He put away the letter he had written.
Wen Shi kept his official appointment documents and silver close to his body, tucked into his chest, as these were very important.
He first needed to go out and find a house, rent a house, and settle down. Fortunately, he had brought a fair amount of money with him.
Wen Shi found a matchmaker and followed her around all afternoon, but the capital was so big that she couldn't find a suitable one.
He used to share a courtyard house with someone, but he didn't want to live there anymore because his wife and son would be coming to live with them in the future. Otherwise, it would be too disgusting and smelly in the summer.
Correspondingly, renting a small courtyard would be quite expensive. After all, he would have to take another exam in three years, and it was uncertain whether he could enter the Hanlin Academy, stay in the capital, or work in one of the Six Ministries. He might even be sent to a local area in the end.
But during these three years, he had the opportunity to meet the emperor in the capital, and perhaps even find a job.
Wen Shi was very happy that his path for the next three years was set and he had things to do, and that he could stay in Beijing, as it meant a different starting point.
We'll deal with the future later. A while ago, he was worried that he wouldn't get a good ranking in the palace examination, but the result wasn't bad.
"How about we continue watching tomorrow?"
The matchmaker was panting heavily. She didn't have many requirements: a slightly spacious room, a reasonable price, two rooms, and no sharing with anyone. This was really hard to find.
"good."
It was getting late, so Wen Shi returned to the inn. He only had three days left. After three days, he would go to the Hanlin Academy to collect his waist token and report for duty. He would then go to the Shuchang Hall to study, where there would be dedicated instructors.
Daliucun
Yingxiang is unaware of these things yet; before she knows it, it's almost May.
The village was getting warmer. After Madam Ma finished her postpartum confinement, she left. Before leaving, she thanked her many times. She had almost packed her things and was just waiting for Wen Shi's letter.
The child is over two years old and can't stay at home anymore. If Yingxiang doesn't take him out to play for half a day every day, he won't sleep at night.
When he thinks about it, he will call him "Dad," and Yingxiang will comfort him.
At this point, whether good or bad, there should be a result. She had almost finished packing her things.
The next morning, Wen Shi got up early and rushed out. He wanted to settle down and move there as soon as possible so he could send a message home. He spent the whole morning running around, and this time he found a courtyard that he thought was quite nice.
The house has three rooms: a main room and two side rooms, but each room can only fit a bed. There is an outhouse at the back, and the kitchen is in the front yard and is open-air, with a shed above for shelter. The monthly rent is six taels.
Wen Shi still had some money left. After some consideration, he decided to rent the place for six months first, and then talk to his wife and children when they arrived.
It's quite a distance from here to the Hanlin Academy, and he can't afford to live near the Hanlin Academy right now.
After signing the lease, the landlord handed the keys directly to Wen Shi. Wen Shi paid the rent, plus the money for the matchmaker's hard work. Considering his expenses since arriving in the capital, he didn't have much money left. However, he was sure he would receive a salary later, so he would have some income.
After the move, Wen Shi went to report for duty on time. He wasn't surprised to see Hu Yong'an, but Hu Yong'an was quite surprised to see him.
"Brother Wen, let's work hard together in the future."
Wen Shi nodded. After registering and receiving his waist tag, he would begin his duty training the next day. He had three years left. Wen Shi received his uniform. Their current treatment was that of a seventh-rank official.
His salary wasn't much, only two hundred taels of silver a year. He roughly estimated that after deducting rent and daily expenses, they could save some money over three years as long as they didn't squander it. It was hard to say where they would go after that, but there would be a closed examination after three years. If he could rank at the top, or if he worked hard over the years and gained the emperor's favor, he might become a high-ranking official in the capital.
After the formalities were completed, the official in charge of their training told them that they could go to the Ministry of Revenue to collect their salary for the year in a few days, which was good news for Wen Shi.
The officials who taught them were very strict, but they were also truly talented. After studying for three more years, Wen Shi didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.
After everything was arranged, he excitedly sent the letter back home. To get his family to come quickly, he paid extra money to have the messengers deliver it as fast as possible.
The letter was naturally sent directly to Wen Xiaowu's private school. He had already made all the arrangements, and Wen Xiaowu only needed to do as he was told.
Wen Shi had already begun a life of getting up early and returning home late in the capital. He didn't have a carriage or servants, but he could take care of himself; he could do laundry and cook.
He persevered through those difficult years, and now his life is already very good for him.
His career had already begun, and naturally, he didn't forget his teacher, so he sent him a letter as well. Without his teacher's careful guidance, he wouldn't be where he is today.
“Brother Wen, things are different now than before. You should prepare carriages and horses, otherwise it will be too tiring to travel back and forth every day.”
After lunch that day, Wen Shi was sitting at the table reading when he heard Hu Yong'an's words and shook his head.
"The conditions aren't right now."
It's not shameful for a family to be poor.
"I'll lend it to you."
Hu Yong'an sat next to him, along with other colleagues, some looking around curiously, others only concerned with the books in their hands.
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